


Unkiss Me

by VenezuelanWriter



Series: You call it peace, I call it love [1]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Barry is a speedster, Bisexual Cisco Ramon, Cisco can steal people’s powers, Cisco makes references, Eobard isn't evil btw, Ficlet, Gay Barry Allen, Jesse and Wally are the heroes of Central City, Kissing, Kissing in the Rain, M/M, Science Boyfriends, Time Travel, a small wink to olivarry because I can, but he’s not The Flash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-05
Updated: 2016-12-09
Packaged: 2018-09-06 17:52:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8763016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VenezuelanWriter/pseuds/VenezuelanWriter
Summary: Cisco didn’t mean to, at first. He was never supposed to end up actually caring about this guy. It had to stay as a one-time thing; a kiss and that’s it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> [insp.](http://heart.tumblr.com/post/133015313885/baesitter-leans-in-for-a-kiss-absorbs-your)
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> I kinda explain the set up for this AU on the tags so go read them if you haven’t. I still tried to explain everything during narration but just in case hehe.
> 
> Readers, I appreciate you <3 I hope you like this.

Cisco didn’t mean to, at first. He was never supposed to end up actually caring about this guy. It had to stay as a one-time thing; a kiss and that’s it.

He wasn’t able to follow his own simple plan, though. It all started when Barry Allen came out to everyone at the university. Cisco had heard rumors that Barry’s family knew from before and that he’d decided to tell everyone the secret after being caught up doing _things_ with Oliver Queen in the Science Building janitor's closet.

It wasn’t a surprise to most of the people. Barry had always had that evident touch of non-straight dudes that told the story by itself.

Weeks prior to that, Cisco had been keeping track of a speedster on campus that basing on his algorithms couldn’t be one of the known superheroes of the city: Kid Flash and Jesse Quick. His calculus, plus a little hacking here and there confirmed it: said speedster was Barry Allen.

It seemed useless for Cisco’s purposes until the moment it was a fact that Barry was gay. That’s when Cisco started to wonder what had he done in his past lives to deserve that luck: Not only the one guy that wasn’t a superhero of all speedsters was studying in his same university, but he was gay _and_ extra cute.

Then Cisco inevitably felt kind of sorry for him. Barry should’ve been more careful about keeping his identity a secret. Cisco didn’t have to put a lot of effort on it to figure it out (because who in their right mind moved around campus at super speed?) and someone with way worse intentions than Cisco’s could also find out about it.

As much as metahumans were known and that eased some of the tension that went along showing the possession of powers, people would always reject by nature whoever was different to them. And now this cute-aspiring-to-CSI guy was taking the risk of being marginalized because of gay and meta. Cisco started to guess that Barry loved the rush of taking risks.

However, Cisco had to be thankful for Barry having the guts to confess he was gay. After having kissed bad looking people, this felt like a blessing. Cisco would get speed, have a good time with Barry, who would also have a good time… a win-win situation, for sure.

Then Cisco would tell him goodbye and never meet him again to assure there wouldn’t be an awkward situation between them. Not that Cisco would mind if he got to travel back in time to save Dante, anyway.

Cisco’s plan had started going down in his first attempt to carry it out. It was simple: he’d make sure Barry would go to a party (not the hard part if he could hack his Facebook account), he’d go even when he really disliked those parties, then he'd casually start a conversation (judging from Barry’s Liked Pages, speaking of Star Wars would be good enough), he’d insist him on getting a drink if he hadn’t had one already ( _just_ to make sure he was relaxed), and with booze in his system and having nerd interests in common why would Barry deny a casual hookup or at least a kiss from Cisco? It was easy as pie.

It turned out that Barry did enjoy both the conversion and the drink, but when Cisco tried to enter his personal space things didn’t follow Cisco’s script.

_Barry blushes, feeling flattered at this hot guy’s –“the name’s Cisco”– intentions and smiles shyly. “Whoa, dude, won’t you take me to the movies at least first?”_

_Cisco looks up and down his face and focuses on his playful and challenging smile. “A kiss has never harmed anyone, kid.” That’s all he needs: that Barry agrees to kiss him._

_Barry smiles, closing his eyes and leaning in, giving Cisco a quick peck on his lips like Cisco’s first kiss when he was twelve. Cisco barely gets the sensation of electricity grazing his lips when he opens his eyes again, just to find Barry at least two feet apart from him on the couch they were sitting._

_“You’re right,” Barry tells him. “It’s never harmed anyone. But just to be sure, before you ask for more, at least take me to the movies, dude.”_

So Cisco put in a balance his priorities and options and knew that even if he invested time and energy getting to know Barry and pretending to be interested in him, it would never be as much time, energy _and money_ as he would invest building a time machine.

He knew it was eventually going to be worth it. Besides, that way he even had guaranteed that he’d have more than enough chances to take the speed necessary to travel back in time to save Dante. And Barry would never suspect it.

After lots of studies and a very long conversation with his Theoretical Physics professor, Eobard Thawne, Cisco had realized the best way to do this was to get a speedster and borrow some of their speed. Why wasting so much energy developing the model for a time machine (not to mention how long he’d take building it), if the night the particle accelerator exploded he was given the gift of taking properties of other’s people powers by kissing them?

At first, it was weird discovering he had that power. It took him a long time to figure out why he’d gotten ice powers in the first place, but things started to make sense when Caitlin revealed she was Killer Frost.

And that other time when wings grew out from his back after his first date with Kendra. He still can’t believe he’s dated _Hawkgirl_.

One thing was for sure, he’d never kissed a speedster before, and no other power would give him the ability to time travel. And even when he never adopted the entirety of the other person’s powers, there was no way he didn’t get enough speed out of Barry if he kissed him times enough, long enough.

It was never what was supposed to happen that he developed feelings for Barry and that the interest wasn’t faked anymore, but genuine. It was not part of the plan he sometimes forgot the reason why he started wooing him and earning his trust. He shouldn’t have been interested in Barry’s academic record, or how his family was doing.

Cisco _definitely_ shouldn’t have advised him to wear chokers more frequently, because now they are a permanent part of Barry’s outfit and they just accentuate how long and pale his neck is and Cisco has a hard time focusing on not staring at it for too long so Barry doesn’t feel trapped under his probably predatory gaze.

He shouldn’t have started asking him for his fears and he should never have talked to him about his brother’s dead or how hard it was to bare bullying during high school, among other things he never shared with anyone.

That’s why lying here, next to Barry on a blanket in the middle of one of the green areas of campus, under the stars of a quite night, Cisco starts to debate if he should really do this, if it’s actually necessary.

They’ve been in silence for the past minutes, just peacefully sharing their body heat in the cool night. Their fingers are interlaced and Cisco is resting his resting his head on Barry’s shoulder.

And then Cisco knows it, it’s now or never.

“You know, Barry,” he straightens up enough to look down at him, his hair falling around his face.

Barry grins widely, his eyes flickering at the adorable sight. “Yeah, Cisco?”

“There’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while…” The hand holding Barry’s caresses it with his thumb, and with his other’s index finger, he traces the outline of Barry’s lips, finally cupping his cheek.

Barry’s eyebrow arches almost unnoticeably, his eyes challenging but there’s no malice behind his gaze. “Umhmm…”

“Can I do it now?” Cisco takes the situation seriously. He could’ve just done it without asking, but there’s something about thinking he has the official consent to do it that makes him feels too special not to do it.

Barry nods and his eyes close instinctively because Cisco leans in and lips are against his own sweetly. He nips Barry’s upper lip between his, and Barry enthusiastically sucks Cisco’s full lower lip. Cisco opens his mouth slightly, angling Barry’s face with his hand and brushing their tongues together, slow, warm and wet.

Cisco releases Barry’s hand in his, but it’s in order to place it on his defined bicep, clenching and unclenching under his touch as Barry’s hand timidly places on Cisco’s lower back, evidently fearful of going further.

Cisco gets on top of him, taking the opportunity to open his mouth wider which makes Barry’s breath hitch. Cisco’s careful not to put his dead weight on Barry, but Barry’s palm puts some pressure on his back, what Cisco reads as an invitation to settle his hips against Barry’s; their mouths still languidly savoring each other.

Barry’s heart races in his chest and his whole body is sparkling with the feelings and the satisfaction of a slow-burned kiss. Cisco is confident above him but still respectful of his limits, and somehow that just makes him want to do even more with him.

It’s strange that Barry feels like if he’s missing something at the moment, like if part of him is slowly draining out of his body and making it lighter. He figures it’s the fact that he’s _finally_ kissing Cisco, because he has no idea of what else he could be missing being between this young man’s arms.


	2. Chapter 2

It doesn’t happen a lot more after that, besides Cisco planting soft kisses down Barry’s neck and toying with the band of his choker.

Then they leave, partly afraid of pushing each other too far and partly because the guard would soon go on his round to check that there weren’t students outside the dorms this late.

They separate at the dorms building, each going to a different floor. Barry sneaks into his room silently so he doesn’t disturb his annoying roommate Julian, since he’s always trying to get him in trouble with authorities.

Cisco also sneaks into his room, not because Rory might give him away but because he actually likes him enough not to wake him up.

Then he gets in his pajamas: a gray plain shirt and some old shorts he used to wear to play basketball a couple of years ago. He gets in his bed, facing the wall and triple-checking over his shoulder to see if Rory is asleep.

Since apparently, Rory  _is_  asleep, Cisco decides he’s going to check the results of the kiss. It seemed like it was enough, both in intensity and duration. He shakes his hand in front of his face, first at normal speed and then it becomes a blur with a few lightning strikes around it.

_It’s worked._

Cisco’s happiness doesn’t last long because the next thing he knows is he’s trying to reset time already, running outside his bedroom and focusing on reaching his top speed, but without the need of statistics, he realizes he’s way slower than what Barry is.

He knows he has to reach a certain speed to be able to travel back in time (Mach 2 to be precise), and he also knows this fast isn’t even 2000 mph. He internalizes how awesome running so fast just felt: the wind, the electricity, the  _power_. He'd still been going very fast and he could've gone on forever. It’s a feeling like any other, not even the one compared to flying –although he avoided doing that one because of acrophobia

It’s hard to contain himself and not running around campus, but he’s aware of the fact that at this speed, cameras could catch his face with enough advanced facial recognition software. He limits himself to run back to his room, and eat a bunch of calories before going back to sleep. He can’t believe that he hadn’t done the math of how tiring being so fast would be. Now it makes sense how much Barry constantly eats.

It hits him out of nowhere the thought of Barry. The image of his face, the fresh sensation on his lips of their recent and first kiss. It was special, patient and intense at the same time- he’d even felt Barry’s throbbing pulse in his wrist right before he let go of his hand. Even without the speed, Cisco could’ve gone on forever.

But it doesn’t mean he’ll change his mind because he's still broken and needs his brother back. He wants more Christmas memories, like the one that made them feel like brothers for the first time; he still has a lot of advice to ask him for, and their mom certainly didn’t deserve to lose such a young son.

It’s just that he already misses Barry. Him and those bright eyes, flawless smile, soft hair and lean body. It’s not only about his physical, though. They have the best time together. Last time when they went out, they were kicked out of the movie theater because they couldn’t stop laughing and making fun of an old lady that was supposed to make sure her granddaughter didn’t make out with her friend. It was priceless.

With a dark shade of guilt in his chest, Cisco finally falls asleep, repeating to himself that it’s not their fault that Barry is the only speedster Cisco can get his lips on and that that makes him his bridge to get out of this.

 

 

Next day, Cisco wakes up late.

“Were you out last night, huh? Who’s the lucky girl?” Rory teases him from his own bed, with a novel in his hand and a cereal bowl next to him.

Cisco sits on his bed, rubbing his eyes with the back of his palms. His hair is messy as it is usual in mornings and his voice is a little hoarse.

“Actually, this time’s a guy.”

“Oh. Thought you hadn’t dated more guys since-”

“ _Don’t_  say his name. I hadn’t. But this one is special.”

“Worth getting to your nanotechnology class late?”

Cisco glances over the clock.

“Damn it.”

What Rory doesn’t know, is that after dressing up, he’ll be in his classroom in less than five seconds (see also: irresponsible uses of superspeed).

 

After his first class this morning, Barry is in his dorm during a break from 10 to 12. Luckily, his schedule doesn’t match Julian’s so he’s always got the dorm for himself these hours every week.

He nervously texts Cisco, wondering if he’s been the only one that hasn’t stopped thinking about last night.

_Hey, I was thinking I really want to see you later?_

Barry’s convinced that the question mark will take the weight of the rest of the sentence. Of course it will. He’s still afraid of letting his feelings show although he shouldn’t be, Cisco’s been his friend for a while now and-

**me too! what about at the library? I have some stuff to do for a class**

“Thank God,” Barry whispers to himself reading the text.

_Sure. If we can… go to your dorm later?_

**Cool :)**

At least he doesn’t have a chance to question his text before Cisco replied it, but he’s still unsure that it had been okay to be too direct. He just wanted to make sure they were okay after last night. They barely exchanged words after the kiss and maybe it had been a bad idea after all.

Barry knows he should stop worrying because A) Cisco had been the one who initiated everything including their relationship in the very first place and B) There was no way Cisco didn’t think he was a good kisser because the kiss had been objectively  _lit_.

He just keeps finding absurd excuses to be worried because he’s been so hurt before. He’s learned not to trust right away and not to care right away –which is why he took the precaution of knowing Cisco first to be sure he wouldn’t be a jerk. And he proved he wasn’t. Does that mean Barry’s already allowed to care? He sure as hell does.

How wouldn’t he, if Cisco’s the perfect match for him? They enjoy the same kind of movies, have long, healthy and interesting science discussions, they respect each other, Cisco’s supported him every time he’s gotten stressed over schoolwork, they laugh at the same jokes…

And no, of course it isn’t all butterflies and roses because they aren’t  _soulmates,_ either, but no one in their right minds wouldn’t ignore the small differences in their personalities (which in fact, let them complement each other) if, besides all the good things they have in common, Cisco looks like he does.

He’s super strong and has beautiful eyes and extra soft hair and the tone of his skin –Barry could write a testament on how sexy that makes him–, and the list of his assets could be endless if he intends it to be.

So… said handsome guy had agreed to meet at his dorm later. Does that mean Barry should wear his good underwear? Would it be casual if- okay no.  _Chill, Barry. Wear the nice underwear, but just in case._  Cisco didn’t have to know those were the good ones.

And that Barry did. He wore his favorite briefs and put on his classic black leggings and a dark red long shirt before heading to the library.

_Chill, Barry. Chill._

 

Barry walks in the library, going to Cisco’s favorite table to predictably find him there, with his laptop, textbooks and some notes on the table.

They kiss briefly and Barry takes a seat next to Cisco.

“So, homework, huh?”

Cisco sighs and answers, “Yeah, pretty much like taking the sci-fi out of Stanger Things: Boring as fuck.” Barry giggles and Cisco continues. “Would you want to help me investigate the origin of subatomic particles?”

Barry beams.

“It’d be my pleasure.”

 

 

Later, when Cisco’s done with his investigation, they walk calmly to Cisco’s dorm. Once in there, Barry scans the room where he’s been just twice before and leaves his backpack next to the door, while Cisco does the same. At the lack of a social area dorms definitely should have, he sits on Cisco’s made bed.

“I just wanted to be alone,” Barry comments and shrugs. “You know my roommate is… annoying.”

“That’s one way to put it,” Cisco says nodding and sitting next to Barry on the edge of his twin-sized bed.

“Listen, about last night…” Barry says, feeling like he has to justify himself.

Cisco puts a warm hand on Barry’s knee. “Would you like to repeat it?”

Barry nods, smiling shyly, his face heated.

“That I can do.”

Cisco shifts to rest his back against the wall and parts his legs slightly. He doesn’t pat them, but Barry knows he’s supposed to sit there. He does, placing his knees on each side of Cisco’s hips and saving some space between their groins. Why again did he choose to wear leggings? These hide fucking nothing.

The kissing starts languidly, Barry’s palms are on Cisco’s chest and Cisco holds him by his thin waist. Their mouths collide, they start speeding their dancing lips and Cisco’s hands once more go to rest on Barry’s toned ass he can perfectly define through his leggings.

It is somewhat impudent, but he massages them and almost moans when the muscles go tense beneath his palms.

It’s convenient and painful at the same time. Cisco, of course, had enjoyed kissing Barry. He was a young and attractive man and they had chemistry together. But hurting him right now, at this precise moment when they’re kissing feels off. Maybe getting speed from him doesn’t harm him, but lying to him does. As Cisco’s feeling the speed flow through his body with an emphasized touch on his lips, guilt inevitably strikes again full on his chest.

Barry breaks the kiss then, catching his breath. He’s expecting to meet with a look similar to his, lustful and driven by the moment. Instead, Cisco has a thoughtful and distant look.

“Hey, something wrong?” Barry asks him, with a small frown and cupping in his hand his cheeks. “We can talk about it.”

Cisco focuses his eyes on Barry’s, his  _Bambi_  eyes with caring expression. How is he even doing this to him?

He brushes the painful thoughts away and smirks, pretending to be completely taken away by the situation.

“Does something seem wrong to you?” he brings Barry closer to him, making him feel his erection developing in his jeans, just as he’s already felt on his thighs the cause of Barry’s leggings tightening.

Barry blushes, all the way down to his neck. “No, but… is something bothering you?  _Distracting_  you?” He’s not letting go that easily –Cisco had been  _miles_  away.

Cisco shakes his head slightly. “Nothing too important, alright? Can we go back to where we were?”

Barry shrugs unconvinced and complies.

“Okay, if you say so.”

Cisco leans in again, rejoining their lips in a passionate kiss. Barry melts into Cisco’s hands on his ass and he starts feeling safer than before and even more willing to let go of himself.

Then Cisco can’t help it, he notices it way too late but-  _he’s vibrating_.

Barry breaks the kiss once more, perplexed.

“Cisco, what was that?” He shifts back down Cisco’s legs, enough to look him fully in the eyes and to make Cisco’s hand move to his hips; Barry is still resting his wrists next to Cisco’s neck.

Cisco expression is empty and he can’t think of a believable lie fast enough. He just shakes his head, trying not to sound too serious when he answers, plainly:

“Uhm- I… I can’t explain it.”

But Barry knows. For God’s sake, he’s been through this himself. He knows what he just saw, what he just  _felt_.

“Cisco, are you a metahuman?” Barry’s face isn’t of disgust or rejection, not even because of Cisco’s lie. His voice is of excitement, curiosity, and understanding.

“Barry, you don’t really want me to tell you about my powers.” Cisco speaks serenely, trying to calm himself down so he doesn’t mess up and also trying to convince Barry to drop the subject.

“It’s all good. I swear,” he says encouragingly. “I… I am a meta, too,” he whispers. “You can trust me. See?” Barry moves his hand in front of Cisco at superspeed and shows him. “I know you just vibrated. I’m familiar with the feeling.”

Cisco’s face is unexpressive. He can’t even fake surprise at the supposed reveal about the fact that Barry has powers. He’s too busy taking in Barry’s honesty and trustworthy face that just makes getting out of this situation a thousand times harder.

“I’m not a speedster,” it’s all he manages to say, drawing circles with his thumbs on Barry’s hips to keep his hands occupied.

“Oh.” Barry’s other hand that hadn’t left Cisco’s shoulder finally falls next to him and he starts to think about what could possibly make all of this so bad. “What are you, then?”

“I… I can… I can take people’s powers…” Cisco can’t make eye contact with him. He looks away and gets a holds up a hand, which then projects an icy glow around it. “By kissing them.”

Barry frowns, starting to connect the dots in his head. “Wh… Are you saying…”

Cisco nods and meets Barry’s confused eyes.

“I got the speed from you, yes.”

But as he expects it, Barry doesn’t leave or yells at him. His face is still of confusion but he looks like he’s processing all the facts in the best possible way. It takes him a moment to answer.

“Cisco, it’s okay, I know it wasn’t your intention. You didn’t know I had powers and I didn’t warn you because-.”

Cisco can’t take it; he doesn’t even have the willpower to fake this one out. “It was, Barry!”

Barry’s frown deepens and his face is instantly just as serious as his. “What are you talking about?”

“I knew you were a speedster and I wanted your speed. But… but I swear to God, Barry, I  _care_  about you.” He tries to tighten his grip on Barry, but he’s already desperately moving backward blindly to get out of the bed.

Barry feels tricked, mocked and so, so stupid. “I don’t want to hear to your bullshit, you… you were like all the others, oh my God…” His hands are on his temples and he’s pacing in the small room.

Cisco gets up quickly, gesturing Barry to calm down. “Barry, that’s not true, I-”

“You just wanted my speed!” His face is full of fury, but also pain. “You just said it, you were always after my speed! This was all fake!”

 “Listen, I have a good explanation of why I did all of this-”

Barry walks to the door and swings it open, stopping to shut Cisco up.

“You can save it. I don’t want to hear from you ever again.” He states with a cracked voice and a reddened forehead.

Cisco follows him, but not even with the last kisses he’s got enough speed to catch up with him. What makes him feel less bad is that he can’t travel back in time (for saving his brother nor for changing this huge mess) which allows him to punish himself for this. He clearly doesn’t deserve someone as good as Barry.

 

Barry didn’t know he could fit so much or sadness, pain and anger in his body.  _It’s called disappointment_ , he thinks as he makes his own heart ache more.

In some way, deep in his mind, Barry knew this was all too good to be true. This was exactly why he was afraid of coming out. He knew that rumors sometimes hurt but maybe it was better than guys fooling him and taking advantage of knowing he’s gay.

It was all too perfect: he’d finally caught the eye of a handsome guy, also a nerd and really smart that had deliberately talked to him that night and that hadn’t backed off when he didn’t give it to him right away. Of course, it all made sense,  _he was always after his speed!_  Dear Lord, he feels so  _used_  right now. He was just a tool for him, a part of a plan. He’d never meant anything to Cisco. And the worst part is that he’d already started trusting him,  _shit_.

He won’t compare this to Oliver –he can’t. It hurts just as much, but differently. With Oliver, Barry knew what he was exposing himself to. He knew Oliver wasn’t willing to have a public relationship but after having a crush on him for a year of course Barry would take whatever he was offered! Even if it meant miserable blowjobs in a janitor closet.

But this time he actually believed Cisco meant it. He looked so good and how could he have seen it coming? Cisco hadn’t stopped talking to him since the day they met and showed real interest in him. Well, “real”.

He was pathetic, dammit. How could he fall this easily? He wishes he didn’t have to return to campus or see Cisco ever again. He wishes they didn’t leave in the same building. Or that at least one of them would graduate soon. But none of those things are true, and unfortunately, he can’t stay at this seashore forever.

 

 

Barry goes back to campus after a long talk with himself, determined to avoid Cisco at all costs. He’d decided to forgive himself for ever believing in Cisco and that the best thing to do was to move on with his life and his career without toxic people like Cisco to mess him up.

The moment he enters his dorm once again he apparently can’t keep his established mindset.

“Look at this, Allen,” Julian greets him with his distinctive accent.

Barry closes the door behind him and throws himself prone on his bed. “I’m not in the mood to fight you, Julian.”

“Look.” Julian hands him a letter that he’s obviously been reading and Barry identifies Cisco’s handwriting.

“You had no right to read this, by the way,” Barry tells him with his most cutting voice.

“Alright, heart-breaker mate,” Julian teases him and goes back to analyze some sample in his portable microscope.

Barry’s eyes go through the paper. At first, he just notices keywords that are the firsts his brain reads on the paper:  _stupid, talk, lie…_ He’s too exhausted even to see what Cisco’s got to tell him. But he also knows he wouldn’t be able to sleep without knowing what it is that he wrote for him.

“Okay. I know maybe you won’t be the first person reading this, so don’t worry, I’m not that stupid to spell everything out.

We need to talk, Barry. I meant it when I told you it wasn’t all a lie. It wasn’t. It all started like part of something else, and what I was pursuing hasn’t changed, I won’t deny that. But I care about you and I need you to listen to me.

It has to do with my brother’s dead. What I’m after. I’ll be in the same place where we first kissed, alright? Every day on my free time until you agree to go and talk to me. You probably know my schedule by heart just like I do yours.”

Barry sighs loudly, putting the letter on his small nightstand. He wonders if he’ll be able to form an opinion on Cisco’s words before falling asleep, but apparently Julian is way too interested in his love-life to let him rest.

“That’s how bad it is?” Julian asks a couple of moments after Barry sighed.

Barry takes Julian’s tone as teasing and irritating, and if Julian didn’t know him well enough he’d pretend to be already asleep. “Shut up, Julian. I told you I’m not in the mood.”

“I’m just saying, I took a graphology course last summer and this bloke is really… desperate for you to believe him. He wrote without having second thoughts and you can tell by the sloppy handwriting he has a lot more to say.”

Barry’s lips twitch surprised at Julian kinder than usual words. “Thanks, I guess. I’ll take it into consideration.”

He turns his back to Julian and faces the wall, trying not to think about the last month and a half where he’s shared too much time with Cisco: so many fun and special moments, not like any other kind Barry’s had with someone else, filled with conversations that seemed to be endless of how natural they flowed.

Maybe Cisco does have a good explanation for this, after all. But it can definitely wait until morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was getting longer than I thought so I split it into more chapters :). Also, didn't you enjoy reading Julian? After 3x09 I’m starting to like him more and more so he was really nice to write :D.


	3. Chapter 3

A week passes by without Barry showing up. Cisco knows there’s no way Barry hadn’t received the letter. Unless Julian had thrown it away –Nah, Cisco doesn’t believe him capable of that. Julian may be a lot of things, like irritating and annoying, but he was not selfish.

Cisco knows Barry won’t probably show up because he hadn’t seen him even once in the past long seven days. Cisco knows he deserves to be intentionally ignored, that Barry has all the right to be angry and that he must respect that, but he’s still hopeful he’ll eventually decide to come here and let him explain everything.

 

Four more days pass by, Cisco is sitting as usual on the spot he promised Barry he’d wait for him. He’s trying to focus enough on studying for an extra credit class, but he just _can’t_. There’s a lot of noise around and every little thing he listens claims his attention. He accepts he’ll have to study later in his quiet room, so he just puts the textbook aside and looks around, observing people.

He literally can’t believe his eyes when he makes out a pale guy, skinny legged, wearing jean shorts and a melon sweater, walking to him. He even waits until the guy is a few meters away to convince himself that he’s actually Barry.

“Hey,” Barry says softly, sitting in front of Cisco on the green and fresh cut grass.

 “Hi. Thanks for coming,” Cisco greets, immediately getting self-aware of every word he says.

Barry looks away, letting his gaze go from Cisco’s textbook to his clothes to the green grass. “Don’t make me regret it.”

“Okay.” Barry says nothing, so Cisco continues. “So… all of this started when my brother died. I became obsessed with saving him somehow.” Cisco waits for Barry’s eyes to meet his before he says anything else. “I had heard that time-travel was real and since metas were already around the city and _I_ was a meta myself, I gave it a shot and started doing research about it.”

Barry frowns, not believing a word of it. He didn’t decide to come here, with an open mind and willing to listen to whatever Cisco had to tell him, to be tricked again. “That’s ridiculous.”

“There are time-travelers saving the world. They call themselves Legends –I contacted a historian!” Cisco gets his phone out of his pocket and after a few taps, shows the screen to Barry. There’s a Google search of the name ‘Nate Heywood’. “He’s really good at what he does and he proved me it was real. You have to believe me.”

Barry finds the transparency in Cisco’s brown eyes and he sighs. “How is this even possible?”

“I tracked him down because he’s written dozens of articles about this for science magazines. He’s trying to contact the Legends –but that’s not the point now. You know Professor Thawne, right?”

“Yeah, he’s the creepy guy that’s always in his lab on the last floor.”

“He’s brilliant, Barry. He wrote a Thesis about superspeed before the particle accelerator was even conceived by STAR Labs. He knows a lot about metas now and he built a theory –it’s just exceptional.” Cisco gestures with his hands as he speaks and he has all of Barry’s attention. “He told me that if something _or someone_ was moving fast enough, the resulting kinetic energy would smash a hole in the space-time-continuum –a breach to travel through time.”

“So all you had to do was to become a speedster and you could travel back in time to save Dante,” Barry quietly says.

“Yes. It was either that or winning the lottery so I could build a time machine.”

Barry looks away again, giving his mind time to formulate concrete questions and organize his ideas.

“Why me? I mean, yes, I understand there are really few speedsters in Central that aren’t superheroes. I don’t even know about any other besides me, but –but why lying to me? Why making me believed you cared? Cisco, I trusted you-”

“Barry-”

“No, you let me talk now,” Barry shakes his head and Cisco remains silent. “I trusted you and I showed you what makes me _human_. I told you about my mom and dad! About my childhood and about my coming out dramatic process. I had _never_ told anyone about it besides Iris. And you know why I did that? Because I thought you were someone worth of my trust, someone that cared about me and that I could show myself to. I thought you wanted to support me. You pretended so well to actually do it.” He makes a pause and takes a deep breath. “I know you were motivated by Dante’s dead. I know that’s your biggest affliction right now. But it doesn’t change the fact you used me in the process of trying to do good.”  Cisco is looking into Barry’s shiny eyes, expecting another sharp line. “I’m done.”

“I know I deserve this,” Cisco starts. “I know you have more than enough reasons to hate me. I’m sitting here and I know all you’re thinking about is that I’m the worst person ever. I know it wasn’t easy for you to come here and tell me how you feel. I know all of that very well. But you still came and you did it because you know that I could’ve easily let you go. If I didn’t care about you, then why am I so affected by you not believing me?”

“Because you want to get more speed?” Barry suggests, shrugging. “You said your goals hadn’t changed, the ones why you were doing all of this.”

“And I’m not going to deny it. Of course, I still want Dante back. But _I swear to God_ , Barry, I don’t want to do it in the same terms anymore. Even if I got the speed somewhere else, I don’t want to use it to save my brother and erase all of this time I’ve shared with you.”

“So what, are you now asking me to save him with you?”

“I’m asking you that you trust me again because my interest wasn’t faked, not after the first week of knowing you. I’m asking you that we build a plan, the two of us, together.”

“I have to think about all of this, Cisco. I mean… Time-travel? It’s a lot to take in.”

Cisco nods in acceptance. “I understand.”

“And it’s really hard to believe you when you tell me that you did care for me.”

“I still do,” he corrects.

“We’ll talk, okay?” Barry tells him, feeling appeased by his decision to give Cisco a chance. He feels lighter. “I‘ll let you know.” He gets up and shakes off his short to make sure it doesn’t get dirty.

“Sure. Thank you,” Cisco says looking up at him.

“It’s fine. I’m gonna meet René to study now.”

“Have a nice afternoon,” he offers with the smallest of smiles.

Barry just waves in response and turns around, leaving Cisco considerably jealous knowing Barry’s gonna spend his afternoon wearing those shorts and with René. Even when he’s the straightest guy ever.

What is most important right now is that Barry said he’ll talk to him, that he’ll think about it –and Barry is a man of his word. Cisco feels relieved knowing that even if things go down and the next time Barry talks to him is to tell him to fuck off, at least his conscience is clear after explaining him the truth.

Cisco's hopeful things will get better between them. His perspective of the panorama becomes brighter.

 

 

Barry processes the information. Cisco just threw plenty of bombs at him and he has no idea of how he’s supposed to study Biology with René right now.

Time-travel. He can freaking time-travel. That means that if he could save Dante for Cisco, he could also save his mom and dad. He could see his future and everybody else’s. He’s so damn _powerful_!

About the whole “I still care about you” thing, though… He won’t lie to himself since he’s noticed it’s pointless. Yes, he still likes Cisco. He wants really hard to believe him and to set free of his emotions. But. There’s always a ‘but’ and especially right now. But Cisco betrayed his trust and he would have to earn it again. He can’t jump into his arms as if Cisco’s first intentions weren’t using him as a tool like those he’s used to handling to build his tech.

He can’t allow himself to be ridiculed, he must… he must set rules. Conditions.  If they’re going to work together, it’s going to be under his-

“Barry!” René shakes him out of his deliberation. “Are you even listening?”

“Uhm… Nope.”

René laughs in disbelief. “Just tell me, is it really that important what you’re thinking about?”

“It is! But I don’t want to bore you or prevent us from studying. This test is important.” He looks at his notes again, pretending to be focused on them.

“You can talk to me if you want.”

Barry looks up, sighing. “I just… This guy. Cisco. The one I told you about. He screwed up _badly_. I talked to him before meeting you and I don’t know, he’s-”

“Different?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t know if I should believe him. He did tell me why he’d done everything he did and he’s begging me to give him a second chance. But I’m scared he’ll hurt me again.”

“What does your heart tell you?”

“To forgive him,” Barry answers immediately.

“Then… Don’t do that. Not right now. Sometimes our hearts are screaming us to do reckless things against our self-preservation instinct. So talk to him again and find a way to work things out. Then you forgive him.”

Barry considers René’s words and looks at him with surprise. “That’s one hell of advice.”

“Anytime. Now, do you have on your notes something about the reliability of the potassium permanganate staining?”

 

 

That night, Barry gives an old friend of his a call.

“Felicity! Hey!”

“Hey, Bar! What’s up?”

“Schoolwork is a bitch and so is society.”

“Then nothing has changed since we last talked.”

Barry smiles on the phone. “I was actually calling to ask you for a favor. I could use your hacking abilities right now.”

“Name it; I’m in front of my computer _right_ now.”

“Awesome. Uhm, what can you get me about time-travel? Anything works, but I need a name.”

“Who are we looking for?”

“No one specific. I just want someone with knowledge of theories, maybe even with his own ones developed… Someone who knows what they’re talking about if it’s about this.”

“I got a name. He’s… Martin Stein. Scientific, Nobel Prize-winning nuclear physicist… Wrote a book five years ago about ‘Our Wide Multiverse’… He’s from there, Central City.”

“Perfect! Do you have a phone?”

“You’re insulting me, little guy. I already sent it to you.”

“Felicity, you’re a ray of sunshine, you know that, right?”

“You’re welcome, Mr. Allen. Always glad to help.”

“I’ll visit you and everyone on break, promised. I miss Starling.”

“And we miss you.”

“Bye, Felicity.”

“Bye, Barry.”

 

 

It’s been another long and lonely, Barry-less, week and a half when Cisco gets a text from him.

_Cisco, we need to meet._

YES! OF COURSE. Whenever, wherever like Shakira said it. I made a rhyme and didn’t even try! He did text!!!! I’m so happy!!!

That’s Cisco’s brain speaking. But he won’t send Barry a text like that showing how miserable his routine without hearing from him has been.

**Tell me when and where**

_In front of the Science building. Can you be there at 3?_

**Yes sir I’ll be there**

 

 

“Hey, glad to see you,” Cisco says as he sits across the wood table in front of Barry, who was already waiting for him. Wait –is he –Is he wearing _that_ –is he really wearing _the_ lilac flannel? He was wearing it when they met and Cisco loves that shirt, _fuck him, oh my God._

“Hey, you,” Barry says, smiling. “I talked to a recognized scientist and did some research on my own. Listen, what you want to do is dangerous, Cisco.”

He frowns. “What do you mean?”

“You can’t travel back in time and save Dante. Alright – _technically_ you can, with my help. But changing the natural course of events might bring consequences like we couldn’t even imagine.”

“Zombie apocalypse?”

“I’m serious about this. And think about it –it makes sense. We wouldn’t have control over everything that would be different if Dante were alive. And –not that it’s actually relevant, but I did that much digging because I thought of all the possibilities: saving my mom, my dad… having my family back. But then… I wouldn’t know Joe. And I wouldn’t have decided to become a CSI.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Exactly. But it’s dangerous and I’m not planning on doing it. I’m sorry.”

Cisco nods, looking away, disappointed.

“However,” Barry adds cheerfully gaining back Cisco’s attention.  “We could travel back in time to a point and time where you’re able to talk to him without changing anything.”

“Like a ‘One Last Time’?”

Barry misses the reference. “Yeah. And we could go there every time you want to. You could talk to him and tell him all the things that were left inside.”

“That… that would be enough for me. _If_ you go with me.”

“Yeah, about that…” Barry sighs. “I want to do this, Cisco. I want to help you and I want to forgive you. But I’m still afraid this is all one huge farce so… just to be sure, I have one condition.

“Name it.”

“No kissing. Not yet.”

“That’s all?” He asks, incredulous.

“I think so, yeah. Give me time so we can be okay again. In the meanwhile, we plan everything out for our time-jump.”

Cisco grins widely, lost in a euphoric and thankful state and –this is all he ever wanted Barry to hear saying. “Barry Allen, you just put the stars in the sky, don’t you?”

 

 

Their planning and studying start right away. They meet every day and spend hours in front of a transparent board Stein gifted them and that they keep in a library locker. They have to call Felicity a few times in order to connect dates and find facts, just as they consult Stein whenever in doubt of huge factors and go to ask Professor Thawne questions of minor variables.

 _“It’s all for a personal project, we’re really interested in this,”_ they say to everyone that asks too much about their intentions on knowing so much about the ‘Supposed Speedforce’ and how it supposedly works with ‘Supposed Time-Travel’.

It takes them two months of that to sort out their pinpointed following steps. They have the calculus, they did the trials, they know the facts and elements of Barry’s speed, and very important: they know when and where they’re exactly going to travel to.

“So, tonight is the night,” Barry tells Cisco. They’re waiting at a bus stop to leave campus, it’s past 9 o’clock and the cold air has made them wear sweaters; Barry has a beige pullover one that accentuates his thinness, and Cisco a navy blue jacket that makes him look even hotter than always.

“That’s right.” Cisco looks at Barry and rests his forehead on his shoulder. “I’m nervous.”

“Don’t worry. We’ve done the math,” he reassures wrapping his arm around Cisco.

 

 

After leaving campus, is safer to use their speed, so Barry takes Cisco’s hand in his and runs them to a testing facility that the Ferris Air airline used to own. Cisco’s still running beside Barry, being sort of dragged by him since he’s faster. It’s is something they’ve done a few time before while training, but knowing this time is the real one makes it scarier and more exciting as well.

Barry stops in the empty field, still holding Cisco’s hand.

“So, are you ready?” Barry asks.

“As much as I’ll ever be.”

Then it happens. Too suddenly and too astonishingly to appreciate it properly, but they find themselves together in a blue-ish tunnel –it’s the space and time they’re in–, looking at memories of both of them and some flashes of moments they don't know none of them recognizes.

Cisco brings his mind to focus on Dante and that day where they would meet at a local bar in one of their attempts to amend their relationship.

They jump out of the breach in a dark alley, one night of August 2014. The sky is cloudy and the wind goes crazy around them, so they just rush inside the bar around the corner before a storm breaks.

Inside the bar, Cisco spots Dante. Barry has never seen Dante before but when Cisco’s eyes fix on a young Hispanic man, he knows it’s him.

“Do you want me to walk you there or… you’ll be fine?” Barry asks him, squeezing his hand.

“I can go, but thanks. It’s so… hard, seeing him again.”

“I know. I’ll be here in case you need me. We can say I’m a friend from your tech group and history won’t change, remember. It’s all good.”

Barry hugs him and Cisco wraps his arms tight around Barry’s torso, feeling magnetized to him. He may be about to do one of the hardest things he’s ever done, but in Barry’s arms, he is unable to feel unprotected.

Cisco gets out of his embrace and starts walking to Dante, shaking in the process.

Barry watches from a seat next to the door. He asks for a drink so he doesn’t look like a weirdo and keeps his gaze focused on Cisco the whole time. He’s smiling at first, awkwardly hugging Dante. Then, one or two sentences later, his face turns serious. –Barry guesses it’s because he’s telling him all of those things he never told him before.

 

_“You’re talking to me like if I’m about to die, hermano.”_

_“I just –I want you to know I care about you. You’re a good brother. And I don’t think I’ve ever thanked you for that.”_

Cisco spends two whole hours talking to Dante. Barry isn’t sure of what about, but they’ve both laughed and drunk and seeing Cisco happy fills his chest with happiness.

Then Dante is about to leave, and Cisco gestures at him as if he’s going to stay longer. Once Dante has left, Cisco walks to Barry, who’s standing up and ready to meet him with open arms.

Cisco’s shaking and crying on Barry’s shoulder, while Barry just caresses his back and keeps his grip strong.

Without saying a word, they walk out of the bar, meeting with a pouring rain.

Cisco takes Barry’s hand in his this time, walking them back to the alley they had been before.

“Wait,” Barry stops him, right beneath the falling sky.

Cisco has just stopped his tracks when Barry pulls him in for a slow kiss, sending all his caring and support through it. Cisco’s brain short-circuits; after all of this time of focusing  his energies on not crushing on Barry and acting carefully to prevent him from doubt him… He’s finally here again, feeling Barry sweet and honest against his lips.

“You can control it, right?” Barry asks out of breath, after breaking the kiss.

“Hm?”

“You know, getting or not people’s powers. Can you control it?”

“Sure.”

“Then please don’t do that ever again, alright? I trust you.”

“And I,” Cisco presses one more kiss on his lips, “love you.” He kisses him harder, loving the feeling of the rain dripping down his sides and soaking his clothes.

It’s way too perfect, being here in 2014 and after talking to Dante, getting to have Barry. It makes him feel like Christmas has come early for him and even better, like if Christmas will last forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! I'm gonna work on a sequel for some smut, because why not. I have a speedster Cisco and a Barry comfortable wearing 'girly' clothes, so naturally, I have to do _something_ about it.
> 
> It should become canon that Cisco (on his own, probably) visits past- Dante, just like Rip took Mick to visit Leonard in the Legends S1 finale. It would be actually awesome.
> 
> Also if someone can make a mood board about this I would love them forever??
> 
> my tumblr is @marian-elisa btw, in case you wanna talk to me or something :D

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed this and maybe other of my fanfics, please visit my [Patreon account](https://www.patreon.com/venezuelanwriter/), in case you would like to help me pay for my college studies (literally, my semesters cost around $100) and also get some awesome, exclusive benefits!


End file.
